BRIEFLY

Industry operated at 80% of capacity last month.

It was the second month in a row that the operating rate at the nation's factories, mines and utilities has declined, the Federal Reserve Board reported. The Fed said the operating rate fell a steep 0.6 percentage point in February, the biggest decline since a 0.7 percentage point drop last October. The operating rate dipped by 0.1 percentage point in January, the government said. This originally had been reported as a 0.1 percentage point increase.